Improvement in sfeam-condensing and gas and air compressing apparatus



UNITED' PATENT Gnrxon.

. EMI=L nnneimor BASEL, SWITZERLAND.

IMPROVEMENTIN strAm-couoru'smc ANDIGASAND 'AIR COMFRESSINGYAPPZARATUS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent-No. 199,786; datedJanuary29, 1878; application "filed Apri1'28, 1877. i

To all-whom it concern:

Be it known that I, EMIIL Bii'RGIN, of Basel, Switzerland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements inSteam-OondensingandGas-Compressing. Apparatus, of which the fol lowing is a specification,reference being. had

to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

One part of my invention relates to the employment of a condensingsteam-engine for the purpose of driving a compression-pump forcompressing air, gas, orvapor and consists 'in-a novel, simple, andconvenientcon-- struction, combination, and arrangement of the enginecondenser, its air-pump, the com pression pinnpyand means of coolingthecyl inder of the compression-pump, and of 1 supplying water tothecondensers,iwhereby a very efficient, compact, and economically-workingapparatus is obtained.

Another part of my invention consists" in' certain devices applied inconnection withthe stuffing-box of an air'or-gas compressingpump;

'forthepurpose of providing for the "returnto' the cylinder of said pumpany air'or gas 'that' may'escape therefrom arounditspiston-rod.

'Figurel'is" a vertical longitudinal section of my apparatus online uuofFig.2. Fig. 2 is aver tical cross-section on liney'y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3lsa' horizontal longitudinal section on linen u, Fig. 2.' Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section on line z z,]Fig.

2. Fig. 5 is an external face view of one of} the cylinder-head's of thecompressing-pump. Fig. 6 is a sectionof the-said headfon line w w'ofFig5. Fig. 7 is an exterior face view of the said cylinder-head withthe'outl'et andinlet pipesattached- Fig.8 isa detailed view,

in section, of the inlet-pipe to the steam-con denser, showing the valveconnected there: with. Fig. 9 is-a vertical longitudinal section cut online w wof' Fig.2. Fig. 10 is a cross sectionof oneofthe cylinder he'adsof the compressing-pump cut on line a m, Fig. '1.

' Fig. 11 is asectional View of the ringiused in' the stuffing-box ofthe compressingpmnp.

A isastrong closed iron case or tank. Bl

isthe cylinder, and G the piston,of apump for compressing gas or airplaced withinthe] case or tank A. D D indicate the cylinder-' heads.In"Fig. 3- these heads are removed.

Within the said case A isplaced also a seam condenser, composed of thechest E and the perforated pipe F introduced into the said.

chest, closed" at the interior end, and-at the exterior opposite endcommunicating by pipe F 'withthe'water in the case A. G is-a valvetoclose-and open at pleasure communication and which communicateswiththecondensingchamber E by means" of a channel or opening,

a, in the bottom of the caseA. Within the sai case H, besides thesaidair pump I, are two principal compartmentsyb b separated from eachotherby the division-plate e and plates b 'b b 12 as shown plainly inFigs. 2 and 9."

Theplates b b b b are provided with valves" c 0 c 03, and between theplates 6 and b and the plates b and b are spaces or chambers b and I)".The body of the cylinder of the airpump I constitutes the wall ofthesaid chambers on theside next them, and openings d d in the saidcylinder communicate with the chambers b and b. By this arrangementwaterflowing from the condenser-cylinder E down through the opening a and thechannel b 'into the lower part b of said case will be drawn by theair-pump Iupthrough the valves 0 0 into the said pump at onemovement ofits piston,

and then, by the' reverse movement of the pistQI it will be forced upthrough the valves.

0 a into the compartment b, whence it will flow out throughthe'outlet-pipe H; J J are overflow-pipes within the case A, leadingfrom near thetop into the apartment b of the case H.

The case A is intended tobesupplied with cold Water introduced throughan inlet-pipe,

A, from some source of supply by a circulating pump, or from a tankplaced above said case. This cold water wilhcirculate about the aircompressing lp'u'mp'Band the condenser E for the purpose "of coolingthem. Asit'risesup" to the level ofthe upper ended the overflow isprovided with two pipes, L L, each pipe opening into a separate chamber,w w, in the cylinder=head of the pump, as shown in Fig. 10. Each chamberis furnished with one or more valves, t t 2? t opening into the cylinderof the pump B, of which those in chamber w open outward, and those inchamber w inward, whereby, as is obvious, the movement of the piston inthe pump B will draw air or gas in through one pipe L at either end ofthe cylinder, and force it out through pipe L.

As the gas, vapor, or air is liable to escape around the piston-rod 0where the'rod passes through the cylinder-head of the pump B, and

it is found by experience that the ordinary stuffing box and packingwill not entirely prevent the escape of gas at this place, the deviceswhich I will now describe are designed to remedy this difficulty.

In Fig. 1 the stuffing-box 1, containing the packing m, is plainlyrepresented in section. Centrally, or midway between each end of thesaid stuffing-box, I place a ring, it, which fits snugly into the saidbox, and through which the piston-rod 0 slides with a close-fittingjoint. This ring has two annular recesses, p p, one in its exterior andthe other in its interior face, as seen plainly in Fig. 11, andseveralapertures, r r a, open communication between the two. On either side ofthis ring the spaces in the stuffing-box are filled with the packing. Anaperture is made through the wall of the stuffing-box, opening into therecess 10, and a pipe, 8, leads from the said aperture. Two branchpipes, s 8 lead from the pipe sone, 8, into the pipe L, and the other,8, into pipe L, whereby it is obvious the space in the recesses 10 p inthe ring at will feel the effect both of the pressure of the compressedair in pipe L and the vacuum in pipe L.

The former will, in practice, usually exceed the latter, but the saidpressure may be equalized by means of the stop-cocks in the pipes s s-that is to say, by so farclosing the former and opening the latter asto equalize said pressure. N is a pressure-gage connected with the pipe8', which, when the said two pressures are equalized, will stand atzero,

. thereby indicating when the said stop-cocks are properly adjusted.

Now it is evident, that with the arrangement above described, whatevervapor or gas may pass from the cylinder of the pump B through thepacking in the stuffing-boxl to the recesses 1 p in ring a will be therediverted through the said recesses, and through the'pipe s s and L, backinto the cylinder of the pump B.

The steam-engine for driving the compression-pump B may have itscylinder arranged directly in line with the cylinder of said pump, andthe piston-rod 1? connected directly with the piston-rod of said pump,as shown in Fig. 1, and the piston-rod of the air-pump may be connectedwith and operated by a swinging arm or lever,-B, actuated from the headof the piston-rod P through suitable connections.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: The pipes L and L beingconnectedthe former with a receptacle for holding compressed air, gas,or vapor, and the latter being open'to the atmosphere or connected witha chamber or reservoir containing the air, gas, or vapor to becompressed-a supply of cool water being provided to flow into the chestA, and connection being established between the steam-condenser E andthe exhaust of the steam-engine, (not shown,) if now the pumps B and Iare put in motion, at each stroke of the piston of B air, gas, or vapor,as the case may be, will be drawn in at one end of the cylinder of B,through the pipe L, and forced out at the opposite end through the pipe-L into the receptacle for holding the compressed air, gas, or vapor. Thewater flowing into the case A will circulate around the said pump B andthecondenser-cylinder E, and flow out through the pipes J J into theapartment b of the case H, and thence out through the outlet-pipe H. Thepump I will act to draw the water to itself from the case A intoandthrough the condenser E, and channel b ,v

apartment I), and valves 0 and c and then to force it out through thevalves 0 and c into the apartment I), whence it will flow out throughthe outlet-pipe H, together with the water coming from the case Athrough the overflow-pipes J J, the operations of compressing air, gas,or vapor, condensing the exhaust-steam of the steam-engine employed todrive the compressing-pump, and circulating the cold water employed forcooling the compressing pump and for condensing the steam, being thusall carried on within sub stantially a single compact case or chest. Thedevices described, connected with the stuffing.- box of thegas-compressing pump, operate to return to the cylinder of said pump allgas that-may escape from the said cylinder in the act of compressing thesame, and at the same time prevent the air from being drawn in throughthe stuffing-box.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent,is- 4 1'. The combination, with one water tank or case, A, of thecylinder of an air or gas com! pression pump, and the condenser of asteamengine for driving the said pump, both arranged within the saidtank or case, to be both cooled by the water circulating through thesaid tank or case, substantially as herein described. I

4 2. The combination with the water tank or I case A, containing thecylinder of an air or gas compressing pump, and the condenserof thecondensing steam-engine which works connected, the one with the suctionor inlet said pump, of the case or chest H, placed pipe, and the otherwith the force or outlet below said tankor case A, and the air-pump pipeof said pump, as described. I of said steam-engine, placed Within saidcase Witness my hand this 27th day of April, or chest H, and connectedwith said condenser, 1877.

substantially as herein described. a

3. The combination, with the stuffing-box of the compressing-pump B, ofthe ring at, es- Witnesses: k cape-pipe s, and branch pipes 8 s providedTHEODORE G. HOsTER, with stop-cocks, the said branch pipes being B. S.CLARK.

EMIL BU'RGIN.

